Hallow
by PGerv214
Summary: When Kikyo can no longer hold the souls of the dead, in order to assure Inuyasha's happiness, Kagome gives Kikyo most of her soul, in exchange for Kikyo staying with Inuyasha and keeping him happy. However is Kikyo really the key to his happiness? Kag/Inu
1. Chapter 1: Pilot

_**What's this? A actual CHAPTER story? GASP! Lol hey there guys :) Here's a new story for you. I was writing another one shot before this, but I just didn't **_**feel**_** it anymore as I reached the end. Hell, I'm the author and even I'm a critique XP Besides that, I've been thinking about this story for a while now and I've been dieing to write it :) So, with out further ado, I give you 'Hallow' (I know the names lame, but bare with me people!) Lol I do not own Inuyasha. Enjoy!**_

**Kagome's POV-**

"Kagome I'm bored!" the young fox demon cried, before collapsing dramatically into my arms which caused me to giggle. "What are you even doing?" he asked and I smiled before placing him on my shoulder so I could get back to work.

"Nothing really, just collecting some herbs for Kaede. These aren't found by the village, but she told me they're very helpful for illnesses" I explained, only to receive a half-hearted groan from the little guy. "Don't worry, Shippo, I'll-" I start but was cut off by a long, white, snake like demon that weaved itself through trees before me.

"K-Kagome, aren't those Kikyo's soul collectors?" Shippo questioned nervously, which caused me to give him a curt nod. "What do they want? Inuyasha's back at camp" he complained which caused me gaze at the creature as my eyebrows pulled together in frustration.

"I..don't know..but I think they're looking for us" I stated dumbly, which caused Shippo to freeze. "We should follow them" I decided before standing up, abandoning my basket of herbs, and walking towards the worm like creature.

When it saw I was approaching, it immediately turned around before entering the forest, stopping once to glance back at us as if it was urging me to hurry.

"Kagome! Why would we follow them! They'll lead us back to Kikyo!" Shippo wailed and I rolled my eyes as I ran after the serpent. "Come on, Kagome, you don't even like Kikyo! She's trying to take Inuyasha to hell! She's trying to take him away from us!" Shippo exclaimed, causing my heart to clench uncomfortably.

"If she needs my help, I'll help her...for Inuyasha's sake. He couldn't handle losing her again.." I muttered as I felt the very familiar jealousy flare through my veins.

Shippo groaned loudly, and I could tell that, even though he didn't like the idea in the slightest, he wouldn't argue anymore...for me at least. He knew as well as I did that losing Kikyo again would crush him, and neither of us wanted to see that happen.

He was right, however, I didn't really like Kikyo. I mean, can you blame me? Because of her, I can never be with Inuyasha, and he can never love me the way I love him. Not to mention she's tried to kill me on numerous occasions when I've only tried to help her.

Shippo on the other hand, didn't like Kikyo _for _of me. He didn't like seeing me so upset when Inuyasha would go see her, so that sparked a hatred of his own. After all, thinking of me as his mother tends to make him a tad protective and judgmental.

The soul collect finally stopped when we were standing in the entrance of a dark cave. Shippo immediately tensed, and I could hear him sniffing the air. When he visibly relaxed, showing there was nothing dangerous inside the cake, I squared my shoulder in an attempt to look brave and determined, before marching into the dark tunnel.

"Shippo, can you conjure your fox fire so we can see?" I asked, and he whimpered but nodded. Within seconds, a beautiful blue flame appeared in his palm, lighting the dark, damp cave a faded blue color.

Like most caves, the walls were dripping with bat droppings and other forms of moisture, and my foot steps echoed all around us, supplying that "eerie cave" feeling. Thankfully, however, the walk wasn't long before we found Kikyo sitting herself upon a rock. It took further observation to see she looked incredibly weak.

"Kikyo" I stated dryly, which caused her to look up as a greeting. Her eyes immediately darted to Shippo, showing that she hoped I would come alone, but after a second or two she turned her gaze back to me.

"I'm surprised you came" she commented, her voice and face stoic as always which I rolled my eyes, the ghost of a sneer evident on my face, before I put my hands on my hips.

"I'm not heartless. Now what do you want?" I asked, cringing at how bitchy I sounded. A small smile graced her lips at the tone of my voice, before she turned to stare vacantly at the wall.

"I requested you here to say farewell to Inuyasha and Kaede. I'll be crossing soon and I don't think I could handle saying good bye in person" she stated, causing my eyes to widen in alarm. "Why aren't you jumping for joy, you wanted me gone, did you not?" she asked, which caused me to glare at her.

"I don't wish harm on others, even if they tried to harm me, and even if the man I love, loves them, again, I'm not heartless, like some people I know" I offered before my gaze softened. "What do you mean you'll be crossing, I thought you wanted to defeat Naraku?" I whispered while Shippo tightened his grip on my shoulder and cocked his head to the side.

"This body, made of clay and dirt, can no longer hold these foreign souls. I shall decompose soon. I'll leave it to you to destroy Naraku" she explained, but even though I knew I should understand and leave it alone, that it was what she seemed to want, I couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to.

"You...you can't! Inuyasha will be devastated if you died again! You can't do that to him!" I yelled, and I watched her smile again as she closed her eyes. Out of no where, a soul escaped from her body before rushing towards the entrance of the cave, as if it were fleeing from her.

"Wait..you said your body won't hold foreign souls..what about _your _soul. Could you stay alive if you had your soul back?" I asked, causing her head to immediately snap up. Her brow furrowed together as she searched my eyes, trying to figure out exactly what I was saying.

"Surely you jest. You and I both know, my soul is in your body" she said, frowning at me like I was stupid. I wanted to glare at her, to tell her I was just trying to help, and if she was going to act like I didn't know what I was doing that good riddance, but I couldn't.

How could I? The thought of telling Inuyasha what happened left me standing there, awkwardly as I weighed my options. What if I were to tell him and he accused me of _letting _her die. God I don't even want to think about _that_. Also, I remember how he acted when he thought Naraku killed her. Another thing I don't want to think about, let alone happen again.

"I'll give you my soul" I blurted out, which caused her eyes to widen and Shippo to scream 'what!' in my ear. "That is, I'll give you part of it. I'll need enough to walk around, use my spiritual powers, and stay alive, but you could have most of it" I explained, and she studied me.

"Why would you do that? Why would you keep me alive. The man you love, loves me and you're going to give me your soul and let me live? After everything I've done to you? Why would you do that for me?" she asked and I quickly scoffed at the question.

"I'm not doing it for _you_. I'm doing it for _him_. I'll...I'll stay in the feudal era and help search for jewel shards, and I'll come and find you some how and give them to you so you guys can put the jewel together, but you have to promise to stay with Inuyasha, tell him why I'm doing this, and...and make him happy" I answered before wrapping my arms around myself in an attempt to hold myself together.

"You're a strange girl, Kagome, but I'm grateful. I'll heed to your requests" Kikyo stated, and our eyes met in a mutual understanding, despite Shippo's complaining.

"Alright. Show me what to do. When we're done, Shippo, you'll go back with Kikyo to camp" I told him, and he looked at me with tears in his wide eyes as if I just told him I didn't want him anymore. I picked him up gently, pulling him into a tight hug, which he quickly returned, before smiling softly at him and extending my arms to give him to Kikyo.

He started at her for a minute, and when Kikyo reached forward to take him, he immediately started crying, as he kicked and screamed, before launching himself into my chest.

"No! I'm not going anywhere without you! I'm not losing you! I'm not losing my mama again!" he wailed as he sobbed uncontrollably into my chest. "I-I-I g-going with y-you" he stated and I could feel my heart tearing to pieces because of his words.

I pulled him into a hug, as I whispered to him to calm down, and that everything will be okay as I rubbed his back soothingly. With that, I realized I couldn't lose him either. I wasn't going to hand him over to Kikyo either. He was like a son to me, even if I was young, and I was not giving this bitch my child.

"It's alright, Shippo, you can come with me. I want you with me too" I cooed, and he immediately looked up at me with tear stained cheeks. I whipped his tears away with my thumb before kissing him on the cheek and placing him on the ground beside me. "I'll never leave you" I promised, which caused him to nod as he tried to stop himself from crying.

With that I looked up at Kikyo, a emotionless expression on my face, as I nodded for her to continue. She simply stared back at me for a moment, as if trying to find hesitation in my eyes before approaching me slowly.

"Focus on a part of you. Focus on something to keep you alive. Something worth living and fighting for. Once that is done, cup your hands in front of you and focus on pushing out everything but that. You're soul will immediately divide into two, and since you're willing to stay alive for that part of your being, it'll leave with enough to do so" she explained slowly and I nodded.

It wasn't hard to pick out something worth living for. The image of a certain half demon immediately filled my head, so I focused on my love for him. How I wanted to live for him, and how I would do anything for him.

Just as she commanded, I cupped my hands in front of my as if I was picking up water between them and focused on pushing out the remains of my soul, however, I never realized how painful it would be.

As the large white orb pulled through my chest, every inch of my body burnt. I felt like Sesshomaru's poisonous claws were digging into my chest and pulling my heart out as slowly as possible in an very successful attempt at causing me more pain. As the orb continued to be pulled out, I felt strangely hallow, like a jack-o-lantern on Halloween, and I felt my entire being because exhausted as if I've been up for months without sleep, yet I was unable to sleep.

Once the orb was completely out of my being, without hesitation, I pushed the burning object into Kikyo, willing it to pass through her body. As it entered her, her breath hitched, and she visibly cringed because of the pain. However, when it settled, a peaceful smile came over her lips as if she found something she was longing for for a while.

"I may not be living in the sense that I have a heart beat, or blood running through my veins, but this feeling is as good as it can get" she murmured, but I barely heard her as I examined my hands which actually had burn marks on them as if I placed them on a hot stove. "Thank you, Kagome" she stated, causing me to shake my head wearily.

"Just...remember your promise" I replied with a heavy tongue, feeling empty and tired. Honestly, I felt like I was the living dead. The only thing that made me remember I was still alive was the fact that I could faintly feel my heart beating in my chest.

She nodded, and together we excited the cave. The sun warmed my skin slightly, as well as Shippo who positioned himself on my shoulder, but I still felt _wrong_. There was really no way to express it, but I felt like I had to struggle to be myself.

"What did you focus on, to keep you alive that is?" Kikyo suddenly asked, and despite this feeling boiling inside me, I smiled sadly as I remembered.

"My love for Inuyasha. My desire for him to live because I'd rather him be happy them myself because I love him too much. As long as he's alive, I can keep going" I explained, which caused her to stare at me for a moment. "You should go, Inuyasha will be wondering where Shippo and I have gone" I said and she nodded.

She then motioned for her soul collects to follow, but instead, them swarmed around Shippo and I, acting as if they were trying to protect us. The biggest one of them came forward, face to face with Kikyo.

"_This is where we part ways Lady Kikyo. We must now follow our new mistress, Lady Kagome, and keep her safe. It is the prophecy_" it suddenly spoke, which surprised me slightly.

"Prophecy? What prophecy do you speak of?" she asked, and the larger soul collector returned to my side, quickly following the others as they circled us.

"_We met a fortune teller, many years back, explaining to us a strange prophecy. 'Seek for thy spirit that lives as it dies, Thy mistress who seals her heart hidden by lies. Use thy power to protect thy lady's heart, A loving companion is thy's only part. Thy mistress with a merry, forgiving soul, Thy wench who's heart is all but a hole.'" _he recited before going to face Kikyo again.

"_At first we assumed the prophecy talked of Lady Kikyo, but now we see that we were mistaken. We must protect Mistress Kagome from this point on. We trust you shall be safe with the half demon_" he finished, and to this Kikyo nodded before approaching me.

"Take my bow, I'll use yours. I assume you left it at camp?" she asked and I nodded before shakily taking the bow from her along with her quiver of arrows. "Send a soul collector to seek me when necessary" she instructed before headed in the direction of camp.

"Let's go Shippo" I stated, before slinging the quiver over my shoulder and taking Shippo to cradle in my free hand. "We should find a place to stay before night falls, I have a feeling we'll be traveling for a while tomorrow" I explained and he looked up at me sadly before nodding and nuzzling her neck affectionately like a small dog trying to comfort it's master, or in this case a child trying to comfort his mother.

With that being said, we took off in the opposite direction with the soul collectors circling around us creating a small barrier. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and I wanted to curse Kikyo, but I couldn't seem to muster any sort of emotion at the moment, nothing beside sorrow.


	2. Chapter 2: Lies and Promises

_**Hey Guys! Here's the Second chapter! So I just wanted to say this fanfiction isn't exactly a "Let's All Bash On Kikyo" fanfiction, but I'm sure the Kikyo haters will like it. Well that's all I really have to say :) I think I have to change the rating of this story though because of it's...colorful...language. But then again, I don't know. What do you guys think? Just send me a review if you think I should change the rating pleasee. Anways, I do not own Inuyasha.**_

**Kikyo's POV- **

When I was absolutely certain she was no longer watching me, I smiled before changing directions and heading to Kaede's village. Then, when I was sure she wouldn't be able to detect my spiritual power, I focused on transporting myself to the village in order to get there faster. One of the many perks of being dead.

Usually, I didn't have to use said power because of my soul detectors, and I was never truly in a rush for anything, but now was different. The girl was right. Inuyasha would come searching for her soon, and if my plan was going to work, every thing had to be finished before that happened.

I had no intention of fulfilling the promises I made to that girl. Inuyasha would feel guilty if he knew what she did, so I had to make sure he think she left him for selfish reasons.

I considered telling her she ran off to be with that Koga fellow, but knowing canine demons, he would go and fight to get her back. It was in his demon nature to take back what was his, or what his _demon_ considered his.

It is easy to tell that Inuyasha's human heart still held feelings for me, but that same heart held feelings for that girl Kagome as well. Usually that would be fine since human hearts are weak, and emotions can over power the others, but his demon heart wanted nothing but Kagome, and that could prove to be a problem for me.

If Inuyasha knew he could still reach her, he would do anything to get her back, and then he could realize that his emotions for that girl outshine his emotions for me. However, if his human heart felt betrayed by the girl, he'd immediately choose me. After all, hasn't he done so before in reverse?

I remember a promise the girl made to him. She told him she would always stay with him until he didn't want her to anymore. That, right there, was the answer to my problem. I needed to make it seem like she broke that promise, and thus break his trust in her.

In a way, she has broke said promise already. By giving me her soul, she feels like she can no longer be with him, so she left him, but if he knew her reasoning he'd immediately forgive her and his emotions for her would increase because of the lengths she was willing to go for him. However, that would not help my cause.

Once my body materialized completely, I found myself on the outskirts of Kaede's village, near the sacred tree. It didn't take me long to locate the bone eaters well which Kagome used to travel from her world to ours. I gently placed my hand on the rim and felt the magic of the thing pulse through my body.

"Excellent" I murmured, before clasping my hands together as if I was about to pray. I then started reciting an ancient prayer, chanting it over and over again, and I felt the magic in the well seal itself completely. Once the well was sealed, I chanted another prayer, locking the seal so only I, or someone stronger then me, could remove it if they truly wanted to

Once that was done, I stared blankly at the stupid well, thinking about all the trouble it's caused me since my resurrection. That girl, no matter how many times she fled this world, she always came back. Did she truly love Inuyasha that much? Of course she did..she wouldn't have given me her soul if she didn't.

I smiled again before focusing the rest of my energy on transporting myself to the place my soul collector found Kagome. I found her abandoned basket of herbs, picking it up gently, examining the thing. Surely these must be for Kaede. I should bring them to her when we go back to the village.

"Kikyo?" I heard someone ask suddenly, causing me to look up to see Inuyasha starring at me. His eyes drifted to the basket in my hands before back to my face, confused. "Have you seen Kagome?" he asked softly, and I could see fear in his eyes. Something I've never seen in them before.

"As a matter of fact I have. I was visiting the village when I saw her run through towards the bone eaters well. She was carrying the fox cub with her. She looked distressed so I followed her and saw her jump in. That is why I came here to see if I could find out what happened" I explained nonchalantly, hoping he didn't think to much about my words.

The village was a far ways off, but you could make it there within an hour if you ran straight there without stopping. I just hoped he didn't read too much into it to assume I may be lying.

"W-what? What do you mean! She just left and she brought Shippo with her!" he growled, and I could see the sadness he was trying to hide. Not long after he showed up, the demon slayer and monk arrived, riding the two tail. When they saw me, I saw the demon slayer's eyes change to complete hatred, shocking me, and I even saw some resentment in the monks eyes.

"Where's Kagome?" the girl Sango, hissed, never taking her eyes off me, as if accusing me of hurting the girl. Inuyasha snarled under his breath, fighting to control his emotions, while the monk just stared at the scene.

"She left...she went home.." Inuyasha stated, before looking up and starring at them. "Come on, we're going back to the village, I'm bringing her back" he said and they nodded.

"I'm coming with you" I announced, which caused their heads to snap up to look at me. "I would like to visit my sister, and I assume these herbs were meant to go to her. Once Inuyasha returns with Kagome, I shall set off" I explained, before looking at Inuyasha. "Will you allow me to do so?" I asked, and I could see him falter.

"Fine...Sango, bring her on Kiara" he commanded, and I saw the demon slayer sneer before nodding. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Didn't he carry Kagome on his back when they traveled? Why not me?

Sango helped me onto the back of the two tail, behind the monk, who seemed to move forward as much as possible. It was clear they didn't want anything to do with me, but they'd have to get use to that.

We traveled in silence. Inuyasha was always twenty or so feet ahead, and he didn't even bother looking back to see me. I couldn't help but feel angry at Kagome. She wasn't even here and she was still taking him away from me. As far as I know she was already killed by a demon or something, although that's not likely.

When we finally did make it to the bone eaters well, I turned like I was about to go to the village, but kept my pace slow. I knew what would happen, but I still need to be shocked.

"What!" I heard Inyasha's voice, and turned immediately to see him jump out of the well, then back in again. He did this over and over again, while his friends all watched in confusion.

"What's the hell's going on!" he screamed when he jumped out again, and I dropped the basket of herbs before approaching the well. I then closed my eyes and focused on my seal before putting my best shocked expression on my face and turning towards the others.

"The wells been sealed from the other side" I stated nervously, and watched their eyes all widen. "Here, maybe I can reverse it" I said before using as little power as possible to try and reverse it. The lock on the seal immediately shocked me, pushing me back and causing me to scream. The worst part was Inuyasha didn't even try to see if I was okay.

"It's no use, the seals been locked, and judging by the amount of power in the seal, I have to say Kagome was the one who sealed it" I said, and watched as Inuyasha's ears went flat on his head.

"No, no there's no way she would do that. She promised to stay with me always. She never breaks her promises! Something must have happened" he said, before jumping in the well again. I watched with wide eyes as he did this over and over again, cursing every now and then.

The monk soon grabbed the herbs before heading to Kaede's. I decided to wait for Inuyasha, but before to demon slayer left she pulled me aside, glaring at me.

"Listen Kikyo, I don't trust you, and if I find out you did _anything_ to Kagome, then I'll make the rest of your unnatural life so _fucking_ miserable it makes hell look like fucking paradise. You understand? _No one _messes with my friends. You're hiding something, and I'll do whatever it takes to find out what it is. I am not going to let Inuyasha or Kagome suffer any more because of you" she hissed, her glare never faltering.

"Are you threatening me?" I accused which only caused her to smirk at me in a sadistic manner. She then started walking back to the village before turning and starring at me.

"I don't make threats, Kikyo. I make promises, and I _promise_ if I find out something happened to her, I'll tear you apart. So watch yourself you fucking zombie" she growled before walking away.

I then turned my attention back to Inuyasha and saw he was still trying to get through the well, and for the first time I saw moisture in his eyes. I felt an uncomfortable feeling pulling at my stomach, and my eyes widened as I suddenly felt guilt for what I've done.

For the rest of the night, Inuyasha continued to try and get through the well, muttering curses and screaming in aggravation ever so often. In fact, I even saw his eyes turning a red color every once in a while which made me start to think, would he ever get over her? Was all of this for nothing?

I quickly shook my head, dislodging the thought immediately. Inuyasha was a dog demon, which means he's extremely loyal. Of course he would be mourning the loss of one of his companions, and being his instinctive nature, this was only natural. In the end he'd come back to me, I just had to let the anger seep through.

Then there came the issue with the demon slayer. She was a smart girl, and she could tell I wasn't being truthful, but I can't worry about that. Kagome won't come back, and there's no way I'll tell her the truth. The only witnesses were the soul collectors, which won't leave Kagome's side, and the fox cub, who is also stuck to her like glue.

Sango will just continue to search around for invisible evidence, and when she can't find any, she'll have to let it go. She'll then have to admit to me she was wrong and that'll only prove to Inuyasha there is nothing to worry about.

He'll get over the girl soon, and when he does, I'll be right here with the good news that I found a compatible soul for my body. It'd be like I was living again, and he'll be so happy he'll forget about Kagome forever. Everything will fall into place.

However, as I watched him continue to jump in and out of the well, I still felt guilty. He looked so lost, so betrayed, so angry, and yet I couldn't tell who it was directed at.

Then I thought about Kagome, if Inuyasha is acting like this, just think about how sees acting. She looked so confused and empty when I last saw her, I just don't understand it. Why did I feel guilty, why should I even care?

After a long while, I decided there was no point in waiting for him to finish, he would be doing this all night. So with that, I headed towards the village to get some rest. In the morning, I would tell them that I would stay with them and help them collect the jewel shards in Kagome's place, and convince them to set off on our journey. If they started questioning the villagers whether I was here or not, they might find out I was lying.

When I entered Kaede's hut, the monk and Sango immediately looked up and glared at me. Obviously the monk didn't like me just as much as Sango, but chose to hide it for Inuyasha's sake, while Sango didn't care, and was very open with her feelings.

I greeted Kaede quietly before seating myself on the other side of the room. The three of them immediately started having a conversation, excluding me, and I realized that even Kaede didn't think I should be here. What exactly had Kagome done in my absence to get everyone to cherish her so?

Either way, I could tell this night would be very long, and possibly every night until Inuyasha got over his loss. That means I'd have to practice something I never cared for. Patience. They would all come around eventually, maybe not as easily as they had with Kagome, but eventually none the less.

All I had to do was make sure no one found out the truth, if they did, I believe Sango will happily keep her promise and make the rest of this life miserable.

_**And that's the end of chapter two! Don't forget to send me a review and explain your thoughts on the rating. Should I change it because of the language or what? I'll be looking forward to hearing from you!**_


	3. Chapter 3: An Old Friend

_**Hey Everyone! Here's the third chapter of Hallow! Better late than never, right?... right guys? Now I want to dedicate the rest of this story to Alexischic. If it weren't for them I probably would never have finished this fic, or even tried to. So thanks! I do not own Inuyasha!**_

**Kagome's POV- **

I was started to think he didn't care about me in the slightest. It's been three weeks since I gave my soul to Kikyo, and I haven't even seen Inuyasha. Hell, he hasn't even came to find me to collect the jewel shards I gathered.

Hell. Is this hell? What could be worse than this? If I died right now, and went to hell, would I just continue to walk as I am? I don't see why not. This is torture. Everyday thoughts of Inuyasha run through my mind, a constant reminder of what I could never have. I always thought we should be together, but fate is cruel I suppose.

Shippo and I have been doing fairly well the past three weeks. Turns out villagers will jump at the opportunity of housing a priestess, even if she's accompanied by a young demon, so every night we sleep with a roof over our heads.

Well, Shippo slept. I found that ever since my soul left my body, I didn't feel the need to sleep anymore. Sure every once in a while, my physical body would become too exhausted to carry on, and I'd be forced to sleep, but my mental body seemed wide awake at all times.

Most of the time, while Shippo slept, I focused on the world around us with the slight hope that Inuyasha would burst through the doors looking for me. Of course, I knew that wouldn't happen, but considering my thoughts of him kept me alive, I didn't really mind the false hope.

As for jewel shards, it's been slow. We've collected a total of two since we left. Considering it was only the two of us, I assume that wasn't that bad, but I just haven't sensed them lately. My guesses are that if any demons have found jewel shards, they're now after Inuyasha and the others in or to attain more. God I hope he isn't careless.

Actually, if you think about it, he's probably doing a lot better. He no longer has to worry about protecting me any more right? Plus, Kikyo can actually hold her own in a fight, unlike me.

I sighed rather loudly before looking over at Shippo. He was sprawled out on the futon beside me, sleeping soundly, and I couldn't help but notice the way his foot twitched every once in a while. Despite myself, I smiled at him and how innocent he was.

That fact I was able to actually smile for once is a blessing. It's almost as if Kikyo took not only my soul, but my personality as well. I tried to smile for Shippo, so he wouldn't worry, but it was difficult. Lately most of my smiles were forced and pathetic.

What's worse is no matter how hard I try to convince him not to worry, he still does, and who can blame him? At the moment I was just a shell, and I had no way to tap into my personality.

Well, there were the benefits. Like the fact I didn't have to sleep as much, and it was a lot easy to keep myself from crying.

In fact, I haven't cried once since it all happened. Don't get me wrong, there are times where I want to cry, and I feel like I could start crying, but I just don't want to. I feel like if I cry...I won't be able to stop.

"Shippo..wake up," I cooed, pushing on his shoulder gently in an attempt to jolt him awake. He murmured quietly before turning over so his back was to me causing me to roll my eyes before scooping him up and gathering Kikyo's bow and arrows.

I always left before the villagers woke up. This way they wouldn't be able to ask questions, and I just couldn't bring myself to find a new home here.

Home. That was another thing I missed. I haven't been home in weeks and I know my family must be worried, but what am I going to do? Show up and say "Oh yeah, I don't have a soul"? Yeah, no. I don't think so.

"Ka-go-me!" Shippo whined dramatically, curling into my chest for warmth as we stepped out into the early morning breeze. "Why do we have to leave so early. Why can't we slow down a bit?" he complained, but I didn't answer.

Slowing down meant I had more time to think, and if I think, I'll fall down deeper into my depression. Also, slowing down gave us a better chance of crossing paths with our former companions, which I don't think I could handle.

As much as I'd love to see Sango, who has become like a elder sister to me, and Miroku, who was like a brother, and of course Inuyasha, but that went without reason, I know I just couldn't see them traveling with her.

It'd just remind me of how I've been replaced. After all, Sango and Miroku, who always took my side when it came to the "Inuyasha-Kikyo" ordeal didn't even try to look for me! What did I have left there? I've been replaced by a stranger who looks almost exactly like me.

"Come on Shippo. It's really beautiful in the morning. I love to see the birds just waking up," I stated in an attempt to convince him that my wanting to leave so early had nothing to do with Inuyasha and the others. However, before he could even respond, I felt the familiar tug in the back of my mind.

"I sense a jewel shard," I told him, which immediately had Shippo up and sniffing around. I quickly started running in the direction of the shard, clutching Shippo to my chest in an attempt to protect him just in case something happens.

"Where's the jewel?" he asked when I stopped, which caused me to bite my lip and look around. I could feel it was near, but because my soul was mostly gone, sensing the jewels exact location seemed to have gotten harder. Especially when it was moving around a lot.

"It should be around here somewhere. I just-" I started but a loud scream cut me off. Before I had the chance to react, directly in front of us I saw a young boy slam into a tree.

I couldn't see his face, but I somehow knew he was crying. Seconds later, a large, but weak demon emerged, glaring at the boy.

"Give it to me! Give me the jewel!" the creature hissed, so I quickly put Shippo down before notching and arrow and sending it straight into the heart of the beast. With an agonizing cry, the demon quickly dissolved into nothing, leaving the boy to stare at where it once stood.

"Are you alright?" I called, which caught the boys attention, causing him to turn to look at me. I immediately recognized him as Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, causing me to gasp. "Kohaku? Are you all right?" I asked before rushing over to check for injuries.

"Lady Kagome...what are you doing here? Does that mean..Sister..is she with you?" he asked hesitantly, which caused me to smile sadly at the poor boy.

"Sorry, she's not. I...kinda..don't travel with them any more. It's complicated" I explained, but the way he looked at me made me think he'd understand. Not like I was going to tell him. After all, he's just a kid.

"I see you still have your jewel shard. So you still work for Naraku?" I asked, causing him to look down in anguish. I immediately regretted bringing that up as I helped him to his feet.

"Unfortunately. He hasn't needed me for weeks, but when he summons me, I can't stop myself from going. It's this stupid shard. It controls me.

"I wish I could take it out, so I didn't have to do what he wants anymore...but if I do that...I'll die. I know it's selfish, but...I..I don't want to die. Not yet!" he cried and I watched as tears started running down his cheeks.

I immediately pulled him into a tight hug, while checking for injuries in the process. He had a few scraps on his arms and legs, but nothing a Band-Aid wouldn't fix.

I couldn't believe a boy as young as him had to deal with this life style. The pain he and Sango feel must be unbearable, after all, Kohaku wasn't that much older then Souta. What if it was my brother who had to suffer this way?

How could a person be so cruel to separate two siblings like this? Everyday Sango has to live knowing Kohaku is in pain. How could Naraku be that horrible? How could he pit people against each other this way? First Inuyasha and Kikyo, and now Sango and her own brother. Was this just a game to him?

"I'm so sorry, Kohaku. I wish...I wish there was a way I could help. I wish there was a way I could bring you back to life," I whispered. However, when the words came out, something clicked. "If I could bring you back to life.." I muttered again, before the idea finally struck me, causing me to gasp.

"Oh my God! Kohaku! I know what to do!" I exclaimed, which caused him to look up at me, confused and skeptical. "Trust me. I'll make sure you're finally free and you can be with Sango again," I explained, causing him to smile shyly.

"Okay... I trust you, Lady Kagome," he stated, which made me smile. I then stood up before offering him my hand. "But...what if Naraku tries to make me kill you?" he asked nervously, while I smiled.

"I'll risk it," I told him while Shippo shrieked in my ear and Kohaku paled considerably.

In the end, we just decided to take away all his weapons and put them into satchel the villagers from the last village had given me. We also tied his hand behind his back and only untied them when necessary, under Kohaku's request.

That night, when Shippo and Kohaku were asleep, I thought about my plan. It was a long shot..but not impossible. Sesshomaru had Tensaiga, which had the power to bring someone back to life a single time. If he agreed to save Kohaku, I could easily remove the jewel shard and purify it, leaving Kohaku free from Naraku.

However, how could I get Sesshomaru to agree? I know he doesn't like me. After all, not only am I human, I travel with Inuyasha, who he hates. So in order to get him to help me, I know he'll want something in return.

I didn't really have that long to think about it, because before I knew it, it was already morning, and Kohaku was awake. He seemed a little confused...almost as if he didn't remember the past evening, but when he saw me, recognition immediately dawned on his face and he smiled shyly.

"Good morning, Miss Kagome" he said respectfully, which caused me to smile. "How long have you been awake?" he asked, stretching awkwardly because of his restraints.

"Oh, not long. Maybe an hour at the most" I lied before running my fingers through my hair. "Why don't we get going? I'm sure we can grab something to eat on the road. The faster we do this the better," I offered before scooping Shippo into my arms, who in returned murmured in his sleep, and heading outside.

It was around dusk when we all felt a very strong demonic aura pulsing from the west. I immediately started probing at the aura, noticing right away that it was familiar, and when it pulsed again I knew right then and there that the aura belonged to Sesshomaru and he was engaged in battle at the moment.

I glanced at Kohaku and he seemed to be thinking the same thing I was, before turning to Shippo who was perched on Kohaku's head, sniffing the air vigorously.

"That's definitely Sesshomaru... I can smell Jaken, Rin and Ah-Un, but there is another demon with them. It's pretty strong, but the scent of blood is strong and it's definitely not Sesshomaru's," Shippo announced, and I marveled on how strong his senses actually were.

I knew he was a canine demon much like Inuyasha, but Inuyasha always beat him to the punch when it came to locating something's scent. I suppose I always thought of Shippo being weak because of the comparison, but I can see now that even though physically he isn't strong, his senses are just as strong as a full grown demon.

"Well that's all the reassurance I need.. Come on! Let's go!" I yelled, sprinting in the direction I could sense Sesshomaru.

The soul collectors immediately swirled around us, forming a barrier in order to mask our presence. If Sesshomaru was in battle with Rin around, he's very likely to get lost in protecting her and attack any demon they sense approaching. We would need the element of surprise in order for him to hear us out.

It didn't take us long before we could see Sesshomaru, still fighting with a large lizard demon which I immediately saw had two jewel shards embedded in it's forehead. Damn, how did I not notice those earlier?

Even though I knew Sesshomaru would probably get angry if his fight was intervened, I notched and arrow and let it soar into the demon's forehead, instantly purifying the shards. The demon howled in pain before disintegrating while Sesshomaru's head snapped up to stare at me.

Cautiously, we made our way toward him, noticing when Rin and Jaken made there appearance from behind a large rock. Before confronting Sesshomaru himself, I picked up the two jewel shards, placing them in the small pouch with the other. Taking a deep, nervous breath, I turned my attention back to Sesshomaru.

"Where is that filthy half breed you usually travel with?" he asked coldly, causing me to recoil slightly like I've been slapped when he mentioned his brother.

Usually, I would immediately defend Inuyasha, yelling at Sesshomaru and reminding him that they _are_ brothers, but I was about to ask a favor, and if I reminded him of the relationship he had with Inuyasha, he surely would've even consider helping me.

"We don't travel together anymore," I stated bluntly, earning a strange look from him. "Lord Sesshomaru, I need your help. You remember Kohaku, correct? Well you see... he's still being controlled by Naraku because of a jewel shard in the back of his neck.

"If we take it out, he'll die, but if we leave it in, he's a danger to us all. Please, help me save him by using Tensaiga.. I would be forever grateful" I said quickly, clasping my hands together in front of my chest and bowing.

He looked at me for a while, an unreadable expression on his face as if weighing his options. I noticed Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un had made their way over, watching in silence, but I didn't miss the way Rin smiled and waved slightly at Kohaku.

"Tell me, human, why should I waste such a power on a worthless mortal?" he asked, glancing at Kohaku who bowed in response. "How could that possibly benefit me?" he asked, while I squared my shoulders and took a shaky breath.

"There's not that much I can offer, but with Kohaku free from Naraku he could be an ally, and Naraku would be down one fighter. Also, Rin is Kohaku's friend. I'm sure she'd be upset if we just let him die and suffer," I explained, but I could tell he needed more convincing.

However, what else could I offer? Sesshomaru was a powerful demon, and I was a weak human girl with no soul. I couldn't do anything for him that he couldn't do for himself.

Glancing at Rin, I noticed for the first time how small she was as she smiled at me. She radiated innocence and I could understand why Sesshomaru would want to protect her.

How could he possibly focus in battle when she was there with only Jaken as protection? Surely that toad wouldn't be able to protect her properly, especially if there was more than one opponent.

"I could help protect Rin!" I heard myself announce, fully catching his attention. Gaping at him, he raised an eyebrow, urging me to explain while I sucked in a gulp of air.

"When you're in battle, I would be able to help protect her using the soul collectors to put a barrier around us. Also, when the demon you're fighting with has a jewel shard I could shoot it with an arrow and purify it," I insisted, watching as his eyes glanced over at Rin.

I could almost see the gears turning in his head. Even though he hated the idea of it, he and Inuyasha were similar in many ways. Sesshomaru would do anything in his power to protect Rin, but when fighting, he couldn't go all out because he'd be too worried about her. Inuyasha use to have that problem when protecting me...

I quickly shook the thoughts from my head. This was not the time to feel sorry for myself. Right now all that mattered was Kohaku and Sango. They deserved to be happy, and I was going to make sure that was possible.

"I will assist you," he stated suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts as I starred at him. He was actually going to help me? Part of me was certain he would reject the request simply because I was friends with his brother. Had my promise to protect Rin really make that much of a difference?

"Thank you so much! I am forever in your debt!" I exclaimed, smiling brightly as he scoffed, drawing Tensaiga. I took that as a sign saying he was done talking and wanted to get this over with, so I turned my attention to Kohaku.

"Alright Kohaku, I'm going to take your shard out, but don't worry, you'll be awake in no time," I explained, pouring as much enthusiasm in my voice as I could muster.

He nodded solemnly before closing his eyes tight. I could tell he was terrified he wouldn't wake up, but I didn't doubt Sesshomaru's power.

I gently placed my fingers on the back of his neck, drawing the jewel shard out, causing him to collapse in the process. We moved quickly, laying him down the the ground before taking a step back, and allowing Sesshomaru to slash at the death bringers that we couldn't see.

I placed the now purified shard into my pouch before dropping to Kohaku's side, brushing my hand over his forehead in an attempt to wake him up.

For a moment, my stomach clenched, afraid that maybe I was wrong and he wouldn't wake up, but as soon as the thought entered my mind, his breath hitched, causing his eyes to snap open.

He blinked a few times before turning his gaze to me, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips. I couldn't help but break into a genuine smile at that moment, earning one from him in return as he sat up and hugged me, clinging to me as he cried and muttered "thank you" over and over again. The urge to cry came again, causing my heart to clench as all my suppressed tried to break away and envelope me, but like always I pushed them back.

"Thank you so much Sesshomaru, you have no idea how grateful I am," I stated, still hugging Kohaku as I looked up at him. He nodded swiftly before looking up at the sky, like he normally did in order to end a conversation.. just like his brother..

Cursing myself for thinking about Inuyasha again, I hugged Kohaku even tighter, subconsciously remembering Souta. He and Kohaku were so much alike it caused me to drop my head as I mourned for the loss of my family and how much my decision was effecting them.

Were they worried? Of course they were.. but were they still waiting? Or have they assumed the worse. Guilt gripped in my stomach as I realized how my mother must feel. After losing her husband, because of me, she lost one of her children, and what about Souta? His older sister just disappeared and he has no explanation..

Suddenly, I realized what Sango must be going through. Every day she had to wonder about the well-being of her little brother and here I was hugging him and drowning in self pity while she worried.

I couldn't possibly fix what I've done to my family.. not yet at least, but I could help Sango. The sooner I returned her brother to her, the easier it'd be for her to move on in her life with Miroku.

"Alright.." I started, standing up and offering Kohaku a hand to help him up. "I have to return Kohaku to his older sister, she's worried to death. Plus, I might as well give Kikyo the jewel shards we've collected. Will you be joining us, Lord Sesshomaru? Or should we meet you somewhere?" I asked, causing him to glance at me.

"We'll escort you. After this, however, you go nowhere unless I advise you to," he demanded, showing no room for argument. "However, I refuse to see my brother. Is there a way you can summon the dead one to come collect the boy and the shards?" he asked, and I gawked at him for a moment when he referred to Inuyasha as his brother.

"Y-yeah.. I can use the soul collectors to summon her once we're close enough" I explained, causing him to nod again. It was probably a good idea.. I couldn't risk seeing Inuyasha and Kikyo together.

If anything could break me, that sure would, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. I wouldn't do that to Shippo, he was already worried enough.

"Very well. There is no reason to see that bastard after what he's done.." he said, glancing at me knowingly, in a way that suggested he knew what happened.

"It is for the better anyway's. I don't want to be near that dead bitch.. her scent is appalling. I can smell her from here," he muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust. I felt like I could laugh at that comment, but instead I felt nothing but fear. If he could smell Kikyo, how close were they? Could Inuyasha smell us?

"Don't worry, wench, the zombie's smell is strong, I can't smell Inuyasha or the rest of your companions, but based on her scent, they are probably a days away from us.

"Rin needs her sleep. There is an abandoned shack not far from here. We'll sleep there for tonight then set out to return the boy at dawn," he explained, shocking me again.

What happened to the Sesshomaru who tried to kill me? He seemed so different now.. is it perhaps we misunderstood him?

"Alright.." I commented dumbly, in which he responded by turning around and walking away. I was definitely dumbfounded as I stood there starring, even after Jaken and Ah-Un started following him quickly.

Obviously if you didn't follow him he would leave you behind. I was quickly pulled from my thoughts however when I felt someone tug on the hem of my skirt. Looking down I saw Rin smiling up at me sweetly tugging me towards Sesshomaru.

"Come on, Kagome, let's go!" she said sweetly, causing me to force a smile before following her lead. Kohaku quickly followed suite, never leaving my side, while Shippo clung to his shoulder.

I definitely was going to miss Kohaku when I had to let him go, but he needed to be with his sister. Sure traveling with Sesshomaru might be a little.. troublesome, but at least I had Shippo and Rin with me. Plus, a deal is a deal, I will protect Rin, and look for jewel shards in the process.

True to his word, the shack wasn't very far at all, but when we did arrive it was dark, and Rin immediately fell asleep. I quickly started a fire in order to keep her warm, before using some of the supplies I gathered from a village we stopped by earlier today to cook Shippo, Kohaku, and Jaken dinner. I offered Sesshomaru some but he quickly declined, stating how he'd rather hunt later.


	4. Chapter 4: A River of Tears

_**Alrighty, I am DETERMINED to finish this story today or tomorrow! I'm sick of it staring at me every time I open my computer, so I WILL finish it. I'm soooo sorry about the wait and I really wish I could have finished it sooner, but something about this story just kills me every time I open it up to work on it. So here's the newest chapter! And I hope to have the next few up ASAP! I do not own Inuyasha so please enjoy!**_

**Kohaku's POV:**

I watched Kagome exit the shack after preparing dinner, instructing the soul collectors to create a barrier around us as a precaution. Frowning, I silently ate my dinner as I watched her.

From the moment I saw her in the woods, I knew something was off. Her eyes didn't shine like they use to, and she didn't hold herself the same anymore. I was hoping she'd tell me what was wrong eventually, but she never did.

When she sat down, starring up at the sky as if in some trance, I turned my attention to Shippo. He was also starring at her, but I noticed tears forming in his eyes, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut and bite his lip while he looked down.

He knew what was wrong; I could tell by the way he looked at her with pity. Did she and Inuyasha get into a fight? Or maybe they got separated from the others; that would explain Shippo's tears.

Glancing at Sesshomaru, I saw he was also starring at Kagome with an angry look in his eyes, but I could tell it wasn't directed at Kagome. Did he know what was going on? Or was he assuming like me?

"Shippo... I know it's not my place, but what has happened to Lady Kagome? Something is different about her, almost as if a part of her has been stolen," I asked, trailing off at the end.

Shippo looked up, wiping his tears frantically and putting on a brave face. I've noticed that he's seemed a lot braver lately. Almost as if he's had to give up being a kid like I have.

"We were collecting herbs for Kaede when Kikyo summoned her. When we went to her she was dying because her fake body couldn't hold the foreign souls anymore and she wanted Kagome to say good-bye for her.

"Kagome couldn't let Inuyasha lose Kikyo again so she gave most of her soul to Kikyo in exchange for her keeping Inuyasha happy, and never leaving him. That was about three weeks ago..." he muttered sadly curling up into a little ball.

"Ever since it's like she can't tap into her personality. She pretends to be okay for my sake, but she's slowly dying. She loves Inuyasha so much she was willing hand him over to Kikyo, but in the process it's killing her.

"I'm sure Sesshomaru has noticed..." he all but whispered, causing my eyes to widen. I spun around looking at Sesshomaru, who only nodded, his expression completely stoic.

"When you first approached I could smell death slowly crawling into her scent. It'll be a while before it claims her but the longer she is without her soul, the quicker it will come," He explained before standing.

"I will return in the morning," he stated simply, before disappearing out the door. Shippo frowned before turning to Jaken, who was still sucking down his dinner.

"Jaken, why did Sesshomaru agree to help us? And don't tell me it's because Kagome promised to protect Rin. Knowing Sesshomaru, he would have taken that as an insult, almost as if she said he wasn't suitable to protect her," Shippo stated, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Jaken sighed before placing his dish down, frowning as he starred at Kagome. After a few moments he turned back to us, a distant look in his eyes.

"I've been traveling with Sesshomaru for many years, so I know him better than you may think. He's always detested humans, almost as much as he detested Inuyasha. However, when he met Rin, many of his opinions changed.

"He grew a soft spot for humans, and he was able to pinpoint where the hate originated from. He resented Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi, from taking his father from him. When Inutaisho left Sesshomaru's mother for a human, he felt betrayed.

"Ever since then, he hated humans. He found them to be selfish nuisances who only cared about themselves.

"That's also why he hated Inuyasha. He believed that if Inutaisho and Izayoi didn't conceive Inuyasha, Inutaisho would have come back to him and his mother, and he blamed Inuyasha for their Father's death.

"However, when he met Rin, he learned that while some humans are selfish, there are some who are not. He realized he had no right to hate Izayoi when he didn't even get the chance to know her.

"He also realized that Inuyasha didn't have a choice in this. He didn't ask to be conceived by Inutaisho, but he was, and blaming him was just as bad as hating humans.

"He knows Inuyasha cares for Kagome on both emotional and instinctual levels. His demon blood has chosen her for a mate, and we were certain he fell in love with her.

"When canine demons mate, they usually mate for life. They're very loyal and when they lose their mate, it's as if they die on the inside. Even though Sesshomaru will deny it, his reasoning behind assisting you is because he knew she'd offer to stay with him and Rin.

"If she stays with us, he may be able to prolong her life long enough for Inuyasha to come to his senses.

"Right now, even though he's probably in pain, his human heart still holds feelings for the dead wench, and because he knows Kagome is alive. If he were to find out she passed, he could very well die of grief.

"He wants to protect Kagome in an attempt to make up for all the years he abused Inuyasha," he finished as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"But wasn't Inuyasha in love with Kagome?" I asked, frowning in confusion. If I remembered correctly, he worried about her constantly.

"I... _we_ thought he was. Part of me wants to believe he still _does_ love her, but if he did, why hasn't he come after her?" Shippo commented, more to himself than anyone else.

Turning my attention back to Kagome, I knew that if she continued to bottle up her emotions, it'd only make her die quicker.

"Someone has to talk to her," I decided, standing up while Shippo quickly followed suit and grabbed my leg, trying to stop me.

"Look, Shippo, Kagome loves Inuyasha, yes she handed him over to Kikyo like it was nothing. She may appear stronger on the outside, but on the inside she's probably a wreck.

"If she keeps bottling in her sadness, she'll lose her mind, and it'll make her die faster. I _need _to try and save her. After all she's done for me, it'd be cruel not to return the favor," I told him, pulling away and walking outside while he pouted and nodded meekly.

I walked slowly outside to where she sat on the hill. If she heard my approach, she didn't acknowledge it. Sighing softly, I took a seat next to her and stared up at the sky for a few seconds, trying to plan my words correctly.

"Shippo told us what happened," I confessed, deciding to get straight to the point, while she sighed.

"I figured he would," she murmured, frowning as she stared at her feet. "I'm okay, really. Sure it's hard sometimes, but I can manage. I mean I'm not sobbing all over myself, and Shippo and I have survived on our own fairly well," she insisted, smiling weakly at me.

"Kagome, when Naraku first brought me back to life, I blocked out all my memories because it was too painful to think about it. I... I killed my father, and my clan, and I just couldn't deal with the guilt.

"The longer I went bottling everything up, the more careless I got in battle. I no longer _cared_ if I was killed by a demon. I would have died too if I didn't just give in and let myself remember.

"It was hard at first. I cried a lot, and I could barely function by myself, but as time passed I started to forgive myself.

"I didn't willingly murder my clan, I was being controlled. The fact that you were able to give Inuyasha up proves how strong you are. You don't have to prove yourself anymore, you've already done more than enough," I finished, causing her eyes to snap up to meet mine.

As I stared into her eyes, I could have sworn I saw something break, and before I had a chance to react, tears were pouring down her face. She then flung herself at me, burying her face in my chest as she gripped the front of my happi tightly in her hands.

"I just miss him so much!" she cried, sobbing loudly into my chest while her shoulders shook violently. I draped my arms loosely around her in an attempt to comfort her as she cried, and it seemed to help because her sobs became less violent and more desperate.

I don't know how long she stayed like that, but eventually her sobs got replaced by light hiccups before disappearing all together. She cried silently for a few more minutes before her breath evened out and she fell limp against my chest.

"She fell asleep," I whispered, before scooping her into my arms and carrying her back to the shack. Gently laying her on the floor next to Rin, I slumped against the wall next to Shippo who had fallen asleep.

Closing my eyes, I desperately tried to lull' myself to sleep, but I couldn't get the sight of Kagome crying out of my head.

For some reason, when she cried like that, it made me want to punch Inuyasha in the face. I know if I tried he'd easily break my hand, but I couldn't help but feel protective of Kagome.

In the short time I've known her; she's become like a sister to me; a sister whose heart was broken, and needed someone to comfort her.

When Sesshomaru returned, he took his place against the wall before staring at Kagome and raising an eyebrow in question.

"The scent of death has faded. It is still there, but not nearly as prominent as before. How did this happen?" he asked, turning his cold eyes to me.

"I was able to get her to let out her bottled up emotions. I think after she cried, it allowed her to tap into her personality a little, and extend her life," I explained and he nodded.

"You have prolonged her life, I believe you can consider your debt to her repaid," he stated bluntly before turning away and closing his eyes.

Once again I closed my eyes; however, when I opened them again I could see the sun peaking over the horizon.

Stretching my arms I looked around the shack and noticed that everyone was already awake and Kagome was busying herself by making breakfast.

"Good morning Kohaku," she said, smiling at me and I noticed how much brighter her eyes were today.

"Good morning, Lady Kagome, how are you feeling?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes while she turned back to what she was doing.

"I'm doing okay, I think. I feel a lot more like... myself," she stated, trailing off slightly, while Shippo smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

"After breakfast we can pack our things and start traveling. The sooner we get you back to Sango the better," she explained, serving food to everyone, besides Sesshomaru who refused.

As I ate, I couldn't help but notice Kagome was barely eating her own meal. She picked at it with her chopsticks, taking small bites now and then, before dumping the rest into Shippo's dish when he wasn't looking.

Could Sesshomaru and Shippo really keep her alive? I know she's doing better now, but what if I'm not here to make sure she doesn't fall back into that darkness?

"Maybe I should stay with you guys for a little while, just… just until things settle more," I offered quietly, placing my dish on the floor while she looked up at me and frowned.

"Kohaku, I know you want to look out for me, but you and Sango have been suffering for so long. She needs to know you're okay," she insisted, smiling sadly at me. "I'll be fine, I promise," she stated, completely unaware that she was slowly dying.

Once everyone finished eating, we packed up our things before beginning our journey. Sesshomaru and Jaken lead the way with Ah-Un, while Kagome, Rin, Shippo and I followed a few feet behind them.

Shippo clung to my shoulder, watching Kagome as she explained a game called "I Spy" to Rin.

"You will keep her safe, right?" I whispered, still not completely assured that she would be okay. Shippo stiffened, his claws subconsciously digging into my shoulder, but I ignored it as I stared at him.

"I'll try... but I don't really know how. You talking to her prolonged her life for another month or so, but I don't know what losing you will do to her. You're her last connection to Sango and the others," he explained, causing me to sigh.

"I shouldn't be leaving her. Not now at least, but a part of me really wants to see Sango. She's hurting too, and Kagome is right. Until Sango knows I'm okay, she'll never be able to move on in life," I said, frowning.

"I don't want to choose between them. Sango's my sister, I've known her all my life and I love her, but Kagome's like a sister to me too, and she _needs _me. She needs us! I couldn't live with myself if I left and she died," I breathed, choking back a sob that tried to push past my throat.

"But if you don't leave, she'll blame herself and that might push her over the edge," he stated, causing my stomach to clench. "Kohaku, you need to be with your sister. If something happens with Kagome, I'll come find you," he promised, smiling slightly while I sighed again.

"You better," I muttered, jogging slightly to catch up to the others who had pulled ahead while Shippo and I were talking.

Sesshomaru announced around noon that Inuyasha and the others were traveling towards us while we were approaching them. When Kagome began to panic, he explained that Inuyasha still couldn't sense them.

The only reason he was able to pinpoint their location was because of Kikyo's scent, which stretched for miles it was so awful. Since they were traveling towards us, however, it meant we'd only be traveling for a few more hours before Kagome could send a soul collector to summon Kikyo.

After that information leaked out, we all became silent. Rin climbed on top of Ah-Un with Jaken, pulling ahead of us, while Kagome continued to walk in the middle while we kept our distance behind her.

It was truly heart wrenching to watch her. Her hands were folded in front of her, while her head bowed forward. Part of me was dying to know what she was thinking, but another part was too afraid to know.

After a few more hours, Sesshomaru told us that Inuyasha and his group stopped traveling, and we were at a good distance to summon Kikyo. Kagome took a few shaky breaths before extending her arm in the direction of Inuyasha, signaling for the soul collector to retrieve their former master.

"You're sure he and Kiara can't sense us yet," Kagome pressed, pleading at Sesshomaru who in return glared.

"Of course I am sure. Inuyasha is a half demon, his senses are strong, but mine are still stronger due to my pure blood. I am always able to detect him before he can detect me," he deadpanned, as if he was explaining something as simple as talking. "Furthermore, with the dead priestess walking about, they might as well be without their sense of smell," he explained, wrinkling his nose in the process.

She took another deep breath before turning towards me, tears prickling in her eyes. Shippo hopped off my shoulder, joining Rin and Jaken while I approached Kagome.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Kohaku. Promise to tell Sango and Miroku I miss them too, okay?" she pleaded, struggling with her words as she wiped her eyes.

Unable to take it anymore, I flung myself at her, throwing my arms around her in a tight hug. My own tears were now streaming down my cheeks as I clung to her while she hugged me back, crying softly.

"I-I promise, Lady K-Kagome. I p-promise," I choked out, biting my lip in an attempt to stop crying. "I promise to come visit as soon as possible, just, stay safe for me, okay?" I begged while she blindly nodded her head.

"You summoned me?" a cold voice asked, causing Kagome to pull away and wipe her eyes as she starred to her left.

I followed her gaze until my eyes landed on Kikyo, who was standing between two trees with a basket in her hands.

"Kikyo," Kagome greeted, fishing into her pocket for the little pouch she kept her jewel shards in. "Here are the jewel shards I've collected in the past three weeks, but that's not all.

"I was able to get the tainted jewel shard out of Kohaku without him dying, so please bring him back with you and tell Sango I wanted to do one last thing for her," she finished, handing Kikyo the pouch.

Kikyo nodded, taking the pouch from her and placing a cold hand on my shoulder and pulling me towards her. Shippo, Sesshomaru, and Jaken glared at her, and I could see Sesshomaru's hand twitching, prepared to strike.

"Kikyo… how is… is everyone… never mind. Just make sure he gets back to Sango okay," Kagome whispered, stepping back so she was next to Sesshomaru. "I'll see you around Kohaku," she stated, smiling at me through her tears while Kikyo pushed me into the forest.


	5. Chapter 5: The Truth

_**One chapter left! I'll have this finished either by tonight or tomorrow I swear (I know that sounds familiar doesn't it) I seriously can't wait for this story to be done. I am soooo sorry about the wait.**_

**Kohaku's POV-**

The trek back to the campsite was taking longer than expected, and I noticed the ground was getting wetter and wetter, almost like we were walking through a swamp. Kikyo didn't seem to mind, in fact she said nothing.

"Uh, La-… Miss Kikyo, are you sure we're going the right way? I'm afraid we might be- Ah!" I started only to fall face first into a large puddle of mud.

"Oh dear, you should be more careful," she said, her voice dark. I pushed myself up and looked back at her, seeing that her foot was pressed down on a branch, causing the other end to be sticking up. Observing the now protruding branch, I realized that the part that was protruding upward was the same branch that I had tripped over.

"Now you're covered in mud, you must want to clean up," she continued, gently grabbing my shoulders and helping me to my feet. "We need to get that _stench_ off you so you don't irritate Inuyasha and Kirara's sense of smell," she explained, but I couldn't help but feel weird about the way she was acting.

Mud was usually scentless; would it really bother their noses so much that I needed to bathe before I could be around them? Before I had a chance to question her, we were already at a river and she was heading back to the woods.

"I'll be back in a little while to bring some fire wood so we can dry your clothes when you're finished. Be sure to do a good job. I'm sure you don't want to see you sister while looking like you just crawled out of your grave," she commanded, sneering slightly before disappearing into the woods.

Unfortunately, she did hit a soft spot. I haven't seen Sango in so long and I'm sure I looked like a wreck. On top of being covered in mud, there's no doubt that I was covered in scrapes and bruises from being chased through the woods so many times.

With that thought in mind, I stripped down to my hakama before laying the rest of my clothes on the bank and stepping into the water. Yelping slightly at how cold the water was, I quickly started scrubbing the dirt and grime from my skin.

After I was positive that all the dirt and dried blood was gone, I grabbed my clothes and scrubbed them all clean right as Kikyo came back with a basket full of wood and twigs.

"I see I came back just in time. I'll start a fire, why don't you hang your clothes on this branch and I'll start the fire underneath so they can dry quickly," she offered, smiling, but I could see that the smile was just for my sake.

"Uh… thank you," I muttered, hanging the clothes where she told me before seating myself on the ground as she worked to start the fire.

Once the fire started, we sat in uncomfortable silence. Kikyo busied herself with tending the fire by continuously feeding it stacks of wood. However, after sometime I noticed that the fire was producing a lot of smoke.

"Uh, maybe you shouldn't keep throwing wood on, it's smoking quite a lot, I think it can't get enough air," I commented, catching her attention for a brief moment before she went back to what she was doing.

"The wood is wet, it can't be helped," she stated, pushing the coals around which caused another puff of smoke to fly into the air and envelope my clothing.

I grimaced, realizing that my clothes would probably smell like smoke for the next two weeks before falling back into silence.

Every once in a while Kikyo would say something, either commenting on the weather, or future travel plans, but I didn't really listen.

In my eyes she was still the enemy. She may be innocent in all this, but it was because of her that Kagome was so miserable. Hasn't she ever heard of an empty gesture? Sure, Kagome was selfless enough to actually give Kikyo her soul, but she should have declined.

A priestess should know better than anyone that the living must die, and the dead must stay dead. A walking corpse like her was an unholy abomination. She was never meant to walk on this earth again.

Of course I still planned to treat her with respect, Inuyasha would probably kill me if I didn't, but that didn't mean I had to like her.

"You're clothes are now dry," she said, pulling me from my thoughts as she pulled my clothes off their branch. She turned away, allowing me to get changed, before dowsing the flames with water. "Come, I'm sure Sango will be thrilled to see you," she stated, smiling as she led the way through the forest.

It was then that I realized that this was truly happening. I was finally being reunited with Sango after being separated for so long. Did she truly forgive me for what I did to our clan? Would the others accept me as easily as Kagome did?

We walked in silence, her leading the way while I watched my feet to make sure I wouldn't trip again.

I couldn't help but worry about Sango's comrades. I knew Kirara would accept me, but what about the monk, Miroku, and Inuyasha? Kikyo seemed indifferent about me being there, but would the others trust me?

After what seemed like an eternity, I could finally see a camp fire in the distance and the smell of cooked fish wafted through the air.

I could feel my chest tighten, and my heart beat thundered in my ears. Kikyo was the first to enter the clearing the campsite was in, and when she did, she announced her return.

"I've returned, and I brought with me an old friend," she stated, gesturing to me just as Sango looked up.

"Sister!" I yelled, unable to control myself as I ran toward her. She was quickly scrambling to her feet, shooting past the monk as she lunged at me, enveloping me in her arms.

"Kohaku! Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" she asked, fussing over me as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"No, Sister, I'm fine. Better than fine, the jewel shards gone, he can't control me anymore, I'm finally free," I sobbed clutching her tightly as she gasped, before letting out a breathless, choked laugh.

"Is it true? I-is it really gone?" she asked Kikyo, pulling away slightly giving me time to register that Miroku was smiling by the fire with Kirara while Inuyasha was nowhere to be found.

"Yes, I have the shard in my possession and it has been purified. He will no longer be a pawn of Naraku," she explained, causing Sango to crush me in her embrace.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," she exclaimed, squeezing tighter and tighter. I was so absorbed in my happiness that it didn't even register that Sango was thanking Kikyo for saving me.

For the next week I spent every second I had with Sango. In the morning, everyone would wake up and Sango and I would prepare breakfast, then we would set out traveling. We would occasionally come across a demon with a jewel shard, but usually Sango and I would deal with them, almost like family bonding.

In fact, Inuyasha and Kikyo tended to keep to themselves. They would both walk quietly at the head of the group, and whenever we set up camp, Inuyasha would disappear into the trees while Kikyo settled herself at the base of a tree, watching over Miroku, Sango, and I.

Multiple times I attempted to bring it up, either to Sango or Inuyasha himself, but something always got in the way, whether it was a demon, or just making up for lost time with Sango when she had something to show me.

However, when I woke up this morning I knew something was off. Something was going to happen and I didn't know what but I didn't like the feeling.

"Kohaku, you've been quiet all morning. Is something the matter?" Sango asked, smiling at me while I shook myself out of my stupor.

"Yes, Sister, I'm okay, I just-" I started when a loud growl reverberated throw the forest. Without a second thought we all jumped into positions. I pulled out my kusarigama, while Sango prepared Hiraikotsu and Miroku quickly scanned the area, his staff in his hand prepared to defend.

Kikyo seemed rather calm, but her bow was already drawn, prepared to attack when ready, and even though Inuyasha seemed rather indifferent, he was gripping Tetsuaiga just in case he needed to unsheathe the sword.

"The beast has five jewel shards," Kikyo stated, before turning to Inuyasha. "And it's heading this way," she finished, while Inuyasha nodded.

"We'll take his jewel shards and send him to hell," he muttered, drawing Tetsuaiga lazily while I cringed. With that attitude he was most likely to do something reckless and get himself killed. He needed to be more careful.

However, I didn't have time to think about that, because as soon as Tetsuaiga was drawn, a large, grotesque demon emerged from the forest.

"Give it to me!" the beast roared, slashing out at Inuyasha and Kikyo. Inuyasha quickly jumped out of the way, leaving Kikyo who threw herself to the ground, just missing the attack.

"Let's go!" Sango yelled, heaving Hiraikotsu back before hurdling it towards the demon. The hit was successful; however the skin on the demon was strong due to the jewel shard, so it simply grazed the demon, leaving a thin cut in its wake. However, it succeeded in taking out two of its jewel shards

The beast roared, now angry while Inuyasha blindly attacked, only to get knocked aside, and slammed into a tree.

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo screamed, firing an arrow. However, because she was so distracted by Inuyasha, the spiritual arrow missed, flying blindly into the forest. "What?" she gasped reeling backwards as the demon swiped at her again, causing her to fall backwards, snapping her bow in the process.

"Miroku! Kohaku! Do something!" Sango yelled, frantically pulling at Hiraikotsu which seated itself deeply into the truck of the tree.

"Right," I yelled as I threw kusarigama at the demon, successfully sinking the blade into its leg and extracting another jewel shard. The demon roared, and I couldn't help but smile at how far I've gotten as a demon slayer.

"Kohaku!" I heard Miroku scream, and before I had a chance to react I was being thrown to the ground by him. The demon then slammed his fist into Miroku, the blow that was meant for me, which sent him flying into Sango.

"Sister! Miroku!" I yelled, cursing under my breath. Sister and Miroku were defenseless, my weapon was lodged into the demons leg, and Kikyo's bow was snapped in half.

Inuyasha pulled himself to his feet, growling loudly before attacking again. I cringed when I saw how reckless his attacks were. He was basically swinging wildly in an attempt to kill the thing.

"Inuyasha! Calm down! If you fight like that your defenses will be down!" I yelled, but he just growled, shooting me a dirty look as he sliced at the demons arm. Another jewel shard.

Knowing I couldn't talk any sense into him, I scrambled to my feet before running to Sango and Miroku. Miroku was old cold, accidently hitting his head on Hiraikotsu when he saved me from the demons attack, and Sango was still trying to pull Hiraikotsu out of the tree.

"Sango, you have to talk to Inuyasha. If he keeps acting like this he's going to get hurt!" I pleaded, while gripping Hiraikotsu and trying to help free it from the tree.

"I can't! He's been like this ever since Kagome went home and sealed the well," she cried, a few tears forming in her eyes as I reeled back.

"Wait, what?" I asked, blanking slightly. However, before she had a chance to explain, Inuyasha let out a blood curdling scream.

Sango and I cursed slightly before looking towards the fight. Inuyasha was slumped on the ground, a puddle of blood slowly spreading beneath him, and my own kusarigama protruding from his stomach.

"Inuyasha!" Kikyo screamed while the demon grabbed the kusarigama's chain, lifting Inuyasha into the air and swinging him around wildly. Blood splattered on the ground and the trees, no doubt from the wound being torn wider, while Kikyo ran towards us.

"What happened?" Sango asked, tearing her eyes off of Inuyasha to look at Kikyo who looked like she was going to be sick.

"I don't know. One minute he was focused on fighting but then he was looking over here at you and the boy, and he was so distracted about whatever was going on over here that he didn't defend himself from the monsters attack. Please, Sango, you must help him!" she begged, literally dropping down to her knees.

Sango frowned before standing up dropping down to Miroku and looking at me, then Inuyasha, and the demon. I could literally see thoughts churning in her head as she assessed the situation.

"Kohaku, I need you to distract the demon, get your kusarigama back, and when I tell you to, you need to get Inuyasha and get away from the demon," she explained, so I nodded, jumping to my feet.

Grabbing some rocks from the ground, I started throwing them at the demon's head; successfully hitting him, and causing him to growl.

Instantly, he dropped Inuyasha and my weapon, and started charging towards me. Cringing, I threw another few rocks that hit him in the eyes, momentarily blinding him and freeing the last jewel shard while I dashed through his legs towards Inuyasha, grabbing the scattered jewel shards as I ran.

"Kohaku, get out of there!" Sango yelled, so I grabbed kusarigama from Inuyasha's stomach carefully and pulled him towards the nearest tree.

"Strap yourselves down somewhere!" she instructed, so I used kusarigama's chain and wrapped it around Inuyasha and I before wrapping it around the tree. I gave her a thumbs up so she nodded, and after pushing Kikyo behind her, she grabbed Miroku's right hand and pulled the beads that sealed the wind tunnel off.

Aiming his hand at the demon, the wind tunnel burst to life, pulling the demons body into the void along with a few branches and rocks. Once the demon was gone, Sango forced his hand closed and re-wrapped the bead, sealing the weapon and letting out a deep sigh.

Taking a breath, I untangled Inuyasha and I from the tree before propping him up on the trunk as Kikyo and Sango ran over.

"Sango, Kohaku, go get a bucket of water. Hurry!" Kikyo commanded, while Sango nodded and grabbed my hand; dragging me into the woods.

Once we found a rounded piece of bark, Sango brought me to the nearest river before dropping to her knees and getting to work.

"Sango… back there you said about Kagome sealing the well… what were you talking about?" I asked quietly, while Sango's hands froze.

"About four weeks ago Kagome disappeared. No one knows why, but she returned home with Shippo and sealed the well so Inuyasha can't get through. For the first we he tried desperately to get her back, but eventually he gave up trying to get through the well.

"Ever since she left he's been completely reckless. He no longer cares about his own life, all he wants is to complete the jewel so he can bring her back," she explained, a few stray tear streaming down her cheeks.

Then it all started to make sense. The reason he never came after Kagome was because he didn't know she was still here.

"Sango… who told you that Lady Kagome went home?" I asked tentatively, while she looked up giving me a weird look.

"Kikyo saw her jump into the well… she tried to reverse the seal but Kagome's spiritual power is stronger than her owns. She's been traveling with us to help Inuyasha get her back by locating the jewel shards," she deadpanned, however, I stopped listening to her.

Kikyo tricked her. She lied to Kagome and has been lying to everyone else. Inuyasha was terribly wounded because he thought Kagome left him.

Slowly the pieces started fitting together. The reason Inuyasha never searched for Kagome, the tension at the campsite, how reckless Inuyasha was in battle, everything was making sense.

"That's why she tripped me in the words…" I muttered to myself, earning a weird look from Sango. "Sango… she's been lying to you this entire time. Kagome never went home. She's still here. She was the one who saved me from Naraku!" I exclaimed, my heart beating thundering in my ears.

"Kohaku what are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense!" Sango questioned, dropping the bark onto the ground.

"Kagome never left! Kikyo summoned her one day to ask her to say goodbye to Inuyasha for her because she was dying. Her body couldn't handle to foreign souls anymore. So being Kagome, she gave Kikyo most of her soul, so she could stay with Inuyasha.

"She and Shippo have been traveling together until they found me in the woods, she saw how scared I was and she found out how to take the jewel shard out.

"She brought me to Sesshomaru and he used Tensaiga to bring me back to life after she removed the jewel shard. She's traveling with him now as a deal for helping me," I finished, and I could see Sango's eyes come alive with anger.

"That lying witch!" she snarled, slamming a fist into the ground. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted her. I _knew_ Kagome wouldn't just leave like that! God dammit!" she yelled, crying uncontrollably.

"Sango, that's not all. Without her soul, Kagome is slowly dying. If she doesn't get it back she'll die," I explained, my own tears falling freely. Sango's eyes became wide, and before I had a chance to react she was standing up, grabbing my arm.

"Let's go," she growled, dragging me back to where Inuyasha and the others were.


	6. Chapter 6: The Beauty of the Soul

_**FINALLY IT'S DONE! Thank the Gods! I'm really sorry it took so long to finish it but it's done! Done done done! Thank you all so much for reading this and dealing with my inability to update on time!**_

**Inuyasha's POV-**

I let out a pained groan, shifting slightly as I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry, no doubt from blood loss, but I could see the blurred shape of a girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"K-Kagome?" I muttered, though I doubt it was audibly. Hell it even sounded like a croaked mess to me.

"Inuyasha. Are you alright?" the girl asked, causing me to reel back slightly. All at once my senses came back. The scent of bones and graveyard soil assaulted my nose, and my vision cleared, giving me a clear view of Kikyo.

Immediately I turned away, scowling. Of course she wasn't Kagome. The pain in my stomach now felt insignificant as my heart clenched, and the familiar numbness sank in.

"Please, Inuyasha, let me tend your wounds," Kikyo begged, but that only made me angrier. When Kagome was with us she didn't ask to tend my wounds. She would sit me and force me to let her.

"No," I stated, bringing my hand up and clenching the locket Kagome gave me in my fist. "There's no point," I grumbled before laying my head back on the trunk of the tree.

"Inuyasha, you mustn't say that. Now please, let me-" she started but I couldn't listen to her anymore. I let out a savage growl before glaring at her.

"There's no point! Without Kagome it's hopeless! I don't deserve to be helped until I can get her back and apologize for whatever I did to drive her away! If she's not with me it's pointless!" I screamed, tears burning in my eyes.

"Inuyasha... I know you miss her, but there is nothing we can do right now, she-" she began, only to be interrupted again.

"What about her Kikyo? She's trapped herself in her own time right? Or is there something you're not telling us?" Sango growled, gripping Kohaku's shoulder tightly.

"What are you talking about Sango?" I asked, glancing at Kikyo who seemed to have frozen in place, starring at Kohaku with a mix of hate, and fear.

"You've lied to us this entire time. You lied to Kagome! What? Did you think Kohaku wouldn't say anything? That he'd be so preoccupied with me that as long as you paid attention nothing would leak out? Well looks like you were wrong," she hissed, and I could see that she and Kohaku had been crying.

"What's going on… Kikyo, what do they mean? What are you hiding?" I questioned, sitting up slightly despite the pain. Kikyo opened her mouth, looking between the three of us and gaping like a fish while Miroku, who had woken up during Sango's rant, crawled over to us.

"Inuyasha-sama she's been fooling you all. She wasn't the one who took the jewel shard out of my neck. Lady Kagome did!" he yelled, choking slightly on his words.

I froze. My mind was reeling, and I could hear my heart beating in my chest. The pain was numb again, almost like a buzzing in the back of my mind, but I forced myself to focus.

"What?" I breathed, looking to Sango for clarification. She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes again.

"Four weeks ago Kikyo summoned Kagome to ask her to say goodbye to you in her place. Her clay body could no longer hold foreign souls, and she was dying. Kagome thought you'd be devastated if Kikyo died, so she gave Kikyo most of her soul.

"She and Shippo were traveling by themselves finding jewel shards when they found Kohaku. They brought him to Sesshomaru and made a deal with him to bring Kohaku back to life after she took the shard out," she finished, shooting Kikyo another dirty look.

"That… that doesn't make sense! How come I didn't smell her when Kohaku came? How come he didn't say anything?" I exclaimed, becoming increasingly anxious.

"On our way to the camp she tripped me, and caused me to fall into a puddle of mud. I had to bathe because I wanted to look presentable just in case you were all weary of me. At the time I didn't even realize what was going on.

"I thought of saying something many times, but every time something would come up. And Kikyo never tried to keep me quiet, so I assumed that no one liked talking about it. It wasn't until today that I found out what she has been spewing to you," he explained, spitting the last words.

My brain was swarming at this point. I desperately tried to assess his story, find something that might suggest he was tricking us. Perhaps he was still Naraku's pawn. However, the same thought kept running through my head. _She's still here. She's still here. She's still here._

Throwing myself to my feet I grabbed Kohaku's shoulders, shocking both him and Sango. I realized it didn't matter if it was a trick or not. There was a chance of getting Kagome back, and dammit I was going to take it!

"Kohaku, where is she? Where was she last?" I asked shaking him slightly in an attempt to force the answers out.

"Inuyasha, I wasn't yet finished. Without her soul, Kagome is slowly dying," he started, and I could feel my face drain. However, before I had a chance to fully react he continued. "We were able to help prolong her life, but after Sesshomaru smelt death on her, he decided to let her travel with them so he could try to keep her alive for you. She's under the impression that she's helping take care of Rin, but she's traveling with him nevertheless," he finished, staring at me with a worried look.

"That's all I need to know," I muttered before taking off into the forest. I could hear them call after me, but I didn't really care. I was going to find her. I didn't even care that I had an enormous gash in my stomach, or the fact that I had no idea where I was going, I refuse to lose her.

I was slightly aware of the ripping sound coming from my abdomen, and the searing pain that followed, but I kept pushing myself forward.

It didn't take long for Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, and Kikyo to catch up, riding on the back of Kirara, and they were soon flying next to me.

"Inuyasha! When I was traveling with Sesshomaru and Kagome he mentioned heading to the west to check on the land there, however they were in no hurry! Also, Kikyo's soul collectors are under Kagome's control now, and they keep her and Rin's scents concealed. If you want to try to sniff them out you have to look for Sesshomaru's scent, he's rarely in the barrier," Kohaku yelled, shooting me a smile.

I nodded my head, changing direction immediately before looking back at them and sneering at Kikyo.

"Why did you let her come along? Hasn't she done enough to Kagome already?" I hissed, glaring at her. I could see the hurt look in her eyes as she frowned, but she just straightened her back like she always does when presented with conflict.

"Even if you can find Kagome, she's still dying. As long as I have her soul her fate is sealed. I need to be there so she can take it back," she said calmly but I couldn't take her seriously anymore.

"It's your fault she… _we_ are in this mess to begin with! Kikyo you are dead! There is nothing that can be done about that and nothing _should _be done about it! You had your time and it should've been up fifty years ago, you can't steal Kagome's chance to live!" I screamed, causing her to reel back like I slapped her.

Growling slightly, I turned away and started running faster. A part of me, the part that would always consider Kikyo as my first love, felt guilty. My words obviously hurt her, after all, I basically told her that Kagome was more important to me, but that was the truth.

Kagome meant more to me than anything, and all I wanted was to be with her. Kikyo's existence wasn't natural. She died fifty years ago and she can't keep prolonging her time here on earth. She's needed elsewhere, and Kagome needs her soul back.

After a few hours I started being able to smell Sesshomaru's scent. It was a few days old and laced with the smell of Jaken and Ah-Un but it proved we were going the right way.

Once again my vision blurred slightly, and I could now feel blood trickling down my legs, but I didn't dare stop.

If what Kohaku says is true, then Kagome is probably eating herself up about why I haven't come and found her yet. She probably believes that I chose Kikyo over her.

I'm not completely blind, I know Kagome has feelings for me, well, at least she did before all of this happened, but I couldn't bring myself to act on my own feelings. I was afraid that if I did, something would happen to her and I'd lose her. I wanted to wait until Naraku was gone so he couldn't take her away from me.

And look how well that turned out.

If only she knew how much I need her. How much I love her. Maybe she wouldn't have felt obligated to save Kikyo for my sake. Maybe she would've known that she was more than enough.

A few more hours passed before his scent became fresh and more traceable. From what I could gather they were traveling slowly, stopping frequently, and I couldn't help but think that that might be due to Kagome.

And as I was running up a mountain path that would lead me past the border, into the western lands, I was able to hear her voice. It was muffled, since she was still a few hundred feet away, but I was just able to pick up on what she was saying.

"Sesshomaru-sama, is something the matter?" she asked, and I immediately noticed how tired and empty she sounded.

"Do you sense anything, girl?" he asked, no doubt already aware of my presence. It was quiet for a few seconds before Kagome spoke again, right as I was rounding the corner to where they were.

"Sesshomaru… I can sense a lot of sacred jewel shards and-" she started, but I couldn't hear her anymore. I was finally able to see her. Kohaku was right; she looked like she was dying. She had lost a lot of weight, and had dark circles under her eyes, which was now accented by how pale her skin had become, but she was still beautiful.

"Kagome!" I yelled, catching her off guard as she spun around, her eyes wide as she gaped at me. I had every intention of pulling her into a hug, but as soon as I got within three feet of her I hit an invisible wall.

Electricity reverberated through my body, intensifying the pain in my stomach, and causing another gush of blood to leak down my body. I let out a straggled yelp, before getting sent backwards, slamming into the ground with a loud "UNF".

I could hear my head crack on the ground beneath me making me feel incredibly light headed. Groaning, I rolled my head to the side, trying to clear the colorful spots from my vision so I could get to my feet.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, and one moment she was next to Rin and Shippo, and the next she was kneeling by my side. "You idiot! You're bleeding everywhere! How long have you gone without getting that wound checked out?" she asked, her eyes shining with worry.

Moaning slightly, I pushed myself up onto my elbows I could properly look at her. I could tell she was still confused on why I was here, and she was worried, like always, about me. I could also tell that Kohaku was right; the smell of death was laced in her scent almost like some of those perfumes she wears. At that moment Sango landed Kirara behind us, causing Kagome to look up.

"What are you all-" she started, but I didn't let her finish. In one swift moment, I grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her towards me, pressing my lips to hers.

She let out a soft "eep" sound before relaxing, melting against me. However, after a few seconds her eyes shot open, except instead of her brown orbs, they were glowing a dim white color.

Her body reeled back, face aiming towards the sky as her mouth opened and began to glow as well. She was soon enveloped in a very faint white hue.

"What's going on?" I asked before looking towards Sango and the other, only to see Kikyo was also glowing, her eyes shining a bright white as well as her opened mouth. However, the white glow that enveloped her was a lot brighter than Kagome's, and expanded outwards.

Slowly, orbs of light broke out from Kikyo's light before shooting into the air and then flying down into Kagome's mouth, making the light round her get bigger and brighter.

Kikyo's however became dimmer and dimmer, until eventually there was no light around her at all and one final orb escaped from her mouth, leaving her eyes to return to normal as the orb entered Kagome.

Kikyo slumped to the ground while Kagome's body jerked again as the light expanded, flaring out before disappearing altogether as her eyes returned to normal.

Mumbling a few incoherent words, her eyes rolled back slightly before closing as she lost consciousness, falling on top of me.

"Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong? Are you okay? What just happened?" I asked frantically as I tried to shake her awake.

"Relax Inuyasha. Her soul has returned to her body. She simple fainted due to fatigue. She probably hasn't gotten much rest or nutrition as of late because her body doesn't feel like she needs it. When you get her home make sure she gets plenty of water and bed rest," someone next to me said, causing me to look up.

Kikyo had dragged herself over to where Kagome and I were, however, her legs started deteriorating, turning to dirt and ash.

"Without a soul I can no longer continue this existence. I…apologize for what I have done. I didn't know she meant this much to you. Can you forgive me?" she asked, her face cracking while her left arm started to fall apart.

"Kikyo… this was unforgiveable. If it wasn't for Kohaku, Kagome would have died. I know some part of you thought you were doing the right thing, but Kagome's life was at risk, and I can't forgive that," I stated, averting my eyes from her so I could brush a stray hair from Kagome's face.

"I understand," she whispered, and almost like an old vase, the rest of her body crumbled, sinking into the ground.

I would be lying if I said her death didn't affect me. There would always be a part of me that would love her, and it's a shame that things ended the way they did. But I couldn't sit around and mourn her loss or feel sorry for myself anymore. It wasn't fair to everyone, and it was unhealthy.

"Why… WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!" someone screamed, and I looked up to see Shippo looking down at me tears streaming down his face as he sobbed.

"I was so worried! I thought you were never going to come and Kagome was going to die and I'd have no one! She was so broken I didn't know what to do! I tried to be strong but I'm just a kid!" he wailed, frantically rubbing her eyes.

Cringing, I grumbled a little before shifting Kagome so she was secured in one arm while I used my free arm to grab the runt.

"Will you shut up, I would have been sooner if I had known," I muttered, curling him into an awkward, one armed hug while he cried into my shoulder.

"I was so scared!" he cried before bursting into hysterical sobs, gripping my haori tightly in his little fits.

"Relax ya brat, you did good. Thank you for protecting her for me," I whispered before looking up at Sesshomaru. "Uh… thank you… for watching over her," I muttered, slightly embarrassed that people witnessed me being nice to the kid.

Sesshomaru made a soft noise to acknowledge my thanks before turning around, motioning for Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un to follow him. The soul collectors, swarmed around Kagome and I for a moment before returning to Sesshomaru and creating a barrier around them once more.

"We'll be in touch," he stated before walking off with Rin waving frantically beside him. I nodded before turning my attention towards Sango and Kohaku.

"You two take Kagome to Kaede's. She needs to get somewhere warm. If she wakes up before I get there make sure to get some food and water into her system," I instructed, hating the idea of leaving her, but she needed to get there quickly, and I need to rest before I started running again.

They nodded, rushing over and taking her from me and heaving her onto Kiara. Kohaku climbed on in front of her, while Sango climbed behind her in order to keep her steady

"Inuyasha, are you sure you're going to be okay? Those wounds are pretty bad…" she commented, shifting Kagome in her arms.

"I'll have Miroku stitch me up the best he can before I head back," I explained, brushing it off. She nodded while Kohaku urged Kiara forward, and in moments they were gone.

I groaned loudly, gripping my stomach as I finally let the pain set in. All I wanted to do was lay down and relax a minute but I owed Shippo an explanation, and I need to get back to Kagome.

"Kikyo lied to us. She told us you and Kagome went back to Kagome's time and sealed the well and we stupidly believe her. And when Kohaku came she took measures to get rid of Kagome's scent. Kohaku was so happy to be with Sango, he didn't hear about what we thought happened to Kagome until today," I explained to him, but he only nodded into my shoulder, sniffling quietly.

"Inuyasha, I hate to interrupt, but I really must look at that wound. I'm going to fetch some water and when I come back we need to clean and bandage your stomach," he explained before rushing into the forest.

"Shippo… how bad was it?" I whispered, tightening my grip on him as I shifted so I was sitting with my legs crossed.

"At first she was e-empty. She tried to be normal for m-me but she c-couldn't fool anyone. When Kohaku showed up she g-got a little bit better, but she s-still wasn't herself. I was a-afraid that she was gonna d-die," he hiccupped, curling into me while I sighed.

"It's my fault… if I had only been truthful about my feelings Kagome wouldn't have felt like she needed to sacrifice herself for Kikyo. If I had only known…" I muttered while Shippo pulled back and hit me half-heartedly in the chest.

"Yeah, it is your fault! Next time be a man and confess!" he yelled causing me to grin and scruff up his hair.

Moments later Miroku came back with water so I set Shippo down and took my haori off, allowing him to get to work cleaning the wound. Once I suffered through that, we wrapped the wound with my undershirt before pulling my clothes back on and heading back to the village with Miroku on my back and Shippo on my shoulder.

Unfortunately I could no longer travel as fast because of my stomach, so the trip took twice as long, especially with Miroku on my back.

When we reached Kaede's hut I could see that Kagome was still asleep, but the smell of death was gone, and she was getting color back in her cheeks.

Sango, Kohaku, and Kaede, who just found out what happened, were now sitting by the fire eating some rice and fish. Shippo perked at the smell, and I could see he desperately wanted to eat, so I picked him up from my shoulder and dropped him into Sango's lap.

"Here, feed the runt. Kaede-baba needs to stitch up my stomach," I said roughly while Sango smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I see you're back to normal now that Kagome-chan is back," she joked, fixing Shippo a plate of rice and grabbing him some smoked fish from the fire.

"Tch, whatever. How's she doing?" I asked as I laid down, taking my haori off once more and ripping off the make-shift bandage.

"Still asleep, she was fidgeting a little not too long ago so she should be waking up soon, but I don't think she's slept at all since she left," she explained while Kaede began cleaning my wound again.

Before I could respond however, I heard Kagome make a soft groaning sound. Just as I was about to jump to my feet Kaede stabbed a needle into my stomach as she began sewing the wound closed.

"Gah! Dammit woman! Can't you be a little more careful?" I cursed, growling slightly while Kaede rolled her eyes and stabbed me again.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered, while I turned my head to look at her. She was rubbing her eyes slightly, but she was up, kneeling on the futon she was on while looking at me which caused me to smile.

"H-hey Kagome, how're you feeling?" I asked before turning to Kohaku. "Can you get her some water?" I asked and he nodded, while I turned back to her.

"I'm confused… what happened? Why did you come after all this time? Why did you…" she started, but trailed off before touching her lips.

I blushed, glancing away from her as I frowned. In that moment Kohaku came back and gave her a cup of water, which she eagerly sucked down.

"Could you give us a moment?" I muttered, turning my attention to everyone else who blinked before exploding into "Oh's!", and "Of course!", "We'll be right outside!".

Kaede, who had just finished the last stitch got up and excused herself as well, leaving just Kagome and I in the hut.

"Kagome… if I had known you were still in this time period, I would have come after you right away. I would have-" I started, while sitting up but she cut me off.

"Wait what do you mean if you had known? Didn't Kikyo tell you?" she asked, while I shook my head. "That wench! She promised me she'd tell you all what happened!" she yelled, frowning. "Where is she? I need to talk to her!" she exclaimed while I shot her an apologetic smile.

"Kagome she's gone. She died when you got your soul back. She apologized, and she knows she's done you wrong, but her time is up," I explained while she blanked.

"Inuyasha… I'm so sorry. I didn't know… are you okay?" she whispered while I just smiled, shaking my head.

"Yeah I'm fine. You shouldn't be worried about me, ya idiot. Anyways, Kikyo convinced us you and Shippo returned to your own time and sealed the well. I was trying to get you back but I thought I needed the jewel.

"It wasn't until yesterday that we found out the truth. Kohaku had been so caught up in being back with Sango that he didn't hear about what we thought happened to you until yesterday. As soon as I found out the truth I came after you.

"Kagome, do you seriously believe I'd rather you give up living in order to keep a dead puppet alive?" I asked, my ears flattening against my head.

I could see tears welling in her eyes as she caught onto the hidden meaning. She now knew that she meant more to me than Kikyo, but I don't believe she realized the entire truth.

"Kagome, you should, uh, know by now that I'm not good at…expressing myself. But, the reason I, uh, kissed you, is because not having you around for four weeks was killing me. I no longer cared about my own life, all I wanted was to get you back so I could tell you that… so I could tell you that I… I love you," I murmured, averting my eyes slightly.

I could hear her catch her breath while a dark blush spread across my face. However, I didn't have to wait for her to say something because within seconds she threw herself into my arms, pressing her lips to mine desperately.

I could feel tears streaming down her cheeks, but I wasted no time in pulling her against me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, burying her hands in my hair while I held her close to me, smirking into the kiss.

When she finally pulled away she was smiling, laughing, and crying at the same time. Her eyes were sparkling, full of life like they always were, but there was a strange glow to her. \

"I'm sorry for taking so long. I'm an idiot," I concluded while she laughed again, pulling one of her hands back to wipe at her eyes.

"Yes you are, but that's okay," she stated before burying her face into my chest. After a few minutes, however, she pulled away with a smile.

"I love you too," she stated, pecking me on the lips before leaning back. "But I'm starving, and I'm in desperate need for a real bath, and I need to see my family," she stated before getting up and running out the door.

Blinking in confusion, it took me a moment to register what was going on, but when I did, I panicked.

"Shit! I forgot to tell her Kikyo sealed the well!" I yelled before struggling to get my haori back on as I tripped out the door.

Once I was back on my feet, I scrambled to chase after her, struggling because the stitches were too tight, and by the time I got to the well she was already there.

"Hurry up! Since when are you so slow?" she asked, smiling as she stood up on the lip and jumped in.

"Kagome wait!" I warned, rushing over to her, but when I looked inside the well there was a slight shimmer inside and she was gone. "Tch, that girl doesn't even realize how powerful she is," I muttered before jumping in after her, and getting swallowed up in the blue light.


End file.
